6 Blue Zone Breakfasts For Longevity
If you're hoping to live a long, healthy life, breakfast is a good place to start. We're all looking for simple tweaks to lead a healthier lifestyle, and the world's Blue Zones—the regions across the globe that have the highest numbers of individuals who live to age 100 and beyond—are a good place to turn to for some insight.
Take a look at six go-to breakfasts from around the world's Blue Zones, that you can easily incorporate into your diet!
1. Yogurt, honey, fruit and nuts – Crete and Ikaria, Greece
The Crete of the 1950s had the highest longevity rates in the world (and the men lived to be the same age as the women). The island of Ikaria has the highest rates of people to live to 100 years of age in the world. One of the lesser-known facts about the people of Ikaria was that many wouldn't eat breakfast at all. They practiced their own version of intermittent fasting.
If they do eat breakfast, it is often something simple like yogurt with honey, some fruit and nuts and sourdough bread and extra virgin olive oil.
The yogurt is from sheep and the sheep are grass-fed. The fruit they eat comes from their own non-sprayed trees. Organic is the natural way for them.
Many studies show that people who eat a Mediterranean Diet have an incredibly increased lifespan, but what they don't take into consideration are all the extra benefits of eating organic, non-adulterated foods that you are foraging and growing yourself in these places.
2. Eggs, sourdough bread, olive oil – Crete and Ikaria, Greece
If people on the Greek islands of Crete and Ikaria have olive oil, it is of the highest quality and has the anti-inflammatory qualities that a good extra virgin olive oil will. When they do eat eggs, they are from chickens that are eating herbs like purslane so the chickens and the eggs are packed with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Some scientists believe that the large amount of omega-3s eaten by those on Ikaria (and Crete) are responsible for their longevity and health.
3. Miso soup, seaweed, natto, and fresh produce – Okinawa, Japan
A traditional Okinawan breakfast is served in several small dishes and includes a variety of fermented foods, fresh produce, and seaweed. It's no surprise that eating more fruits and vegetables supports longevity, but the standout ingredients in an Okinawan breakfast are miso, natto, and seaweed. Miso and natto are both types of fermented soy products.
A recent study suggests that eating more [fermented soy products] may help lower your risk of premature death. In the study, people who frequently ate natto were up to 24% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who didn't eat it very often. Kombu, and other types of seaweed have a similar effect. Two recent and large studies have linked a higher intake of seaweed with a lower risk of dying from heart disease and stroke.
4. Oatmeal with nuts, fresh produce, and maple syrup – Loma Linda, California
Inhabitants of Loma Linda, California are known for their longevity, but not because of where they live, but more because of who lives there, referencing the large population of Seventh-day Adventists that reside there. As part of their religion, they are mostly vegetarian. Their main breakfast food is made up of porridges and cereals and fresh fruits and vegetables. Their main breakfast would consist of oats in some form. They might have oatmeal with maple syrup and nuts for breakfast or oat waffles. They could also have a millet porridge or granola made with oats, maple syrup, and nuts, noting that oats are incredibly nutritious and have been shown to significantly decrease risk of heart disease.
5. Rice and beans – Nicoya, Costa Rica
One of the most popular breakfasts in Nicoya is a dish called gallo pinto — a seasoned mix of beans and rice that's typically served with corn tortillas and coffee. Beans and rice pack a serious protein punch when eaten together, and a recent study suggests that getting more protein in general (and plant protein specifically) could help you to live longer, not to mention, beans are one of the best sources of dietary fiber—a nutrient that can help lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and cancer.
Eating beans and rice for breakfast is not your thing? It may take a while to get used to, but after a few times you may be surprised how much you love it!
6. Bread, tomatoes, olive oil – Sardinia, Italy
Sardinia, like Ikaria, has a very large population who live to be over 100. Also, like Ikaria, breakfast is not a meal that is focused on much. Many Italians skip breakfast all together (once again, showing the benefits of intermittent fasting). When they do eat breakfast, it is simple and often about using up leftovers.
A breakfast in Sardinia could be leftover bread dipped in milk or rusks (twice-baked bread) with tomatoes and anti-inflammatory extra virgin olive oil. Again, all the ingredients are from their own land, organic, and fresh. Lycopene in tomatoes has been shown to possibly reduce risk of cancer and heart disease. Recent studies have shown a potential connection between increased lycopene intake and decreased risk of prostate cancer and lung cancer.
From organic oats, nuts and seeds in our Bulk departments, to pasture-raised dairy and eggs, sourdough bread, and our fresh selection of organic fruits and veggies, it’s easy to build a better breakfast with Love! Happy National Breakfast Month!